Continuing the Legacy (It's Time)
by DontStopBelieving4
Summary: Sequel to It's Time. Sixteen years after Jace and Clary get married, their son, Will wishes to continue the legacy his father established in the world of Mixed Martial Arts. Outside of the gym, he faces the challenges of love. AU/All Human Wessa/Sizzy/Clace Multiple POVs. Fluff Disclaimer:I do not own The Mortal Instruments or its characters.
1. Chapter 1

_Will_

When your dad is an MMA legend, there's a lot to live up to. I knew when I was five years old that I wanted to be just like my dad. I used to watch him at the gym training with my Uncle Simon and think they were superheroes and what five year old doesn't want to be a super hero?

I'm only sixteen and not even eligible for professional fights, but there are already people trying to predict if I'll be able to live up to my dad's standards. Dad never pushed me into anything though. Growing up, he used to tell me that I didn't have to fight, that people would expect me to be great because he was and if I didn't want that, I didn't have to. Every time, though, I would tell him that I was up for the challenge.

Dad stopped fighting professionally when I was ten. He broke his leg in a fight and decided it was time to stop. Now, he runs the gym full time and is my head trainer, kicking my ass in the process. He also does some scouting for the organization to find the next big fighter and does commentary work for big fights.

I'm not a mixed martial artist because it's what my dad did. I fight because it's what I love to do, even though my mom would rather me sit in her studio all day and help her take pictures. I'll leave that for my brother, James.

James is only fifteen months younger than me and has every bit of Mom's artistic ability. Dad always jokes that the blondes and the redheads formed teams early on. James and I share our mother's green eyes, though. My brother is my best friend; there is no doubt about that. I love that kid more than anything. He started high school this year and I love the fact that the Herondale boys are both there to cause trouble.

The Herondale and the Lewis kids joined forces a long time ago. There really isn't any time you can find any of us without the others. In fact, Tessa, who is six months older than me and won't let me forget it, is on her way to becoming the next big thing in female MMA. That was a fun conversation to be a part of. Tessa decided when we were twelve that she could be just as good, if not better than the boys. Our dads were so against it at first, not that they thought girls couldn't fight. They just didn't want to see Tessa get hurt.

Eventually, they agreed and Tessa and I have trained together ever since. Sometimes I wonder if she knows how I feel about her and she just chooses to ignore it. James says that I'm so obvious it's a wonder she hasn't called me out for being creepy yet. I can't help it though. I've known this girl for my whole life and she is my best friend. We tell each other everything and we understand each other.

Aunt Isabelle has even asked me why we don't date, but according to Mom, she had our wedding planned before I was even born. Everything is going to change tonight, though. Tonight I plan on making my feelings for Tessa known and I only hope she reciprocates my feelings and I don't ruin our friendship because without Tessa as my friend, I don't know what I would do.

"Mom," I yelled as I walked in the front door of my house dropping my gym bag next to the door.

Clarissa Herondale, otherwise known as Mom, came around the corner and wrapped me in her arms, even though I was twice her size and she barely stood as tall as my chest. I loved my mom. She was awesome. She met my dad back when he was still fighting and they fell in love. I don't know how many times my dad had told me their story, but I could probably recite it word for word at this point.

Mom encouraged my brother, James and me in whatever we wanted to do and for me that meant mixed martial arts.

"How was the gym," she asked as we walked into the kitchen where James was sitting at the counter eating whatever Mom had made for us.

"Awesome, as usual. I kicked Dad's ass all over the mats." James snickered as Mom smacked my head.

"Watch the language, but I'm proud of you." She sat down at one of the bar stools and took a drink of her tea. Her crazy, curly red hair was thrown up haphazardly with a few pieces framing her face. "So, what time is Tessa coming over?"

"Ooooh, Will's got a girlfriend," James teased from the other side of Mom. I tried to reach around her and smack him, but she stopped me. "Hey, I'm just saying that it's completely obvious that you like her, Will."

"Yeah, obvious to everyone but Tess," I mumbled into my water. "Anyway, she said she was going to go home and change and then she would be here. Oh, and she's not my girlfriend."

"But you want her to be, right," Mom asked with a loving look in her eyes. "I mean, I've known since you were about seven how you've felt about her."

"Mom, come on," I huffed. "You're just feeding into Aunt Isabelle's dream. I don't even know if she feels the same way."

"Oh, honey, don't worry about it. I'm sure she'll love what you have planned."

"Or she could be completely freaked out and never talk to you again," James teased and my nerves soared.

"I hate you," I told my brother.

"No, you don't. You love me." He smirked from the other side of Mom and I knew I needed to get away from those two if I had any chance of making it through the night without completely losing it.

"Well, as amazing as this conversation has been, I'm going to go." I got up from my seat and kissed Mom on the head. "Please let me know when Tess get's here."

I headed to my room to shower and change before I made sure everything was ready. After I showered, I dressed in a nice pair of jeans and a button down shirt that Tessa always liked. I grabbed my laptop and made sure the playlist I made was perfect. When I was sure everything was perfect, I made my way downstairs where my dad had just walked through the door.

"Hey, Uncle Simon said Tess will be here in a little bit," Dad said as he dropped his gym bag next to mine. "Does she have any idea what you're planning?"

"No, but apparently everyone else does," I said shaking my head. No one could keep a secret around here. If I told Mom something, there was no doubt she would tell Dad. Most of the time, James could keep a secret, but every once in a while he spilled to Mom. "Can you help me for a second?"

"Yeah, sure. What do you need?" I led him out to the deck that led to the beach. Just beyond the house, I had set up a blanket and Mom had prepared a picnic basket for us. The sun was making its way to the horizon and I knew that I needed to make sure I timed everything perfectly with the sunset. I stopped when we came upon my setup.

"I don't really need any help, I just wanted to talk to you, away from team ginger in there," I told my father bashfully.

"Were they giving you a hard time," he asked with a knowing smile.

"Of course, they were. It's their prerogative, but it made me think for a second. Do you think I'm crazy? Is confessing my feelings for Tessa after all this time ridiculous?"

"Son, listen." He put his arm around my shoulder, a sure sign that he was about to drop some sage advice on me. "Love is crazy. How do you think I felt when Uncle Simon introduced me to Aunt Isabelle for the first time? I honestly didn't see them panning out, but after a few months, I realized they just worked. There was no way to explain it, they just did."

"Yeah, I guess you're right, but I'm just afraid that this will ruin our friendship. We've been best friends for so long and I don't want to mess that up."

"What if she does feel the same way?" He raised his eyebrows at me. "You'll never know unless you try, Will. You know your mom's and my story, so I won't bore you with it, but how do you think I felt that night at that party? I saw a beautiful redhead across the room and all I had to do was sit next to her. I don't even want to think about what would have happened if I hadn't because I probably wouldn't have you or your brother."

"Dad, you would have met eventually." I shook my head because he acted like it was some act of fate that they were both at that party, when in reality, if they hadn't both been there, Simon and Isabelle would have introduced them eventually.

"That's not the point." He smacked me in the back of the head. What was with everybody hitting me tonight? "The point is that that might have been our only chance. Sure, we could have met later on down the line, but it might not have been the same. We met because I made the decision to walk over and introduce myself. It wasn't Simon or Isabelle who introduced us, but me."

"Okay, I get it, but what does that have to do with me and Tessa?"

"What if this is your only chance?" He let that sink in and I realized he was right. "You kids are growing up and if you don't take a chance now, you might never get the chance to later."

"Thanks, Dad." I turned to him and gave him a hug before he turned to walk back to the house.

"Good luck, Will."

Dad was right. I had known I loved Tessa since I was ten years old. She was always the one for me, which was why I never even thought of other girls. I wasn't dumb; I noticed all of the guys at school looking at her as the three of us walked through the halls. Don't get me wrong, she's a beautiful girl, the most beautiful I had ever seen with her long brown hair and blue eyes that could pierce your soul. If I didn't make my feelings known, someone else would and I couldn't let that happen without her at least knowing how I felt.

The only thing that was holding me back was our friendship. It wasn't as if we never saw each other. We saw each other every single day, whether it be for school or training and we spent most of the day together. I could handle it if she didn't feel the same way, but if it affected our friendship, I would never forgive myself. I finally decided to push all of my worries aside and take a chance. I would never know if I didn't try and if I didn't try, I would regret it for the rest of my life. Like the true fighter I was, I started hopping up and down in the sand like I was getting ready for a fight. I threw a couple of punches to let off some steam and calm myself down. I closed my eyes taking a deep breath and thought of Tessa. She would forever be my calming force.

I realized then that I didn't just want to tell Tessa how I felt, but I wanted to know how she felt, as well. I wanted to know what was going through her mind every day we spent together while I was dying to tell her the I loved her.

"Will," my mom called from the deck, interrupting my thoughts. "Tessa is here, honey."

I guess I was about to find out.

* * *

_Thank you so much for reading! As I mentioned in the summary, the is the sequel to my story It's Time and is set sixteen years from the last chapter. It will focus mainly on Tessa and Will, with some Clace and Sizzy thrown in there too and will be told from all of their POVs. _

_I just loved It's Time so much, that I couldn't walk away from the story there, so this is my chance to further the story and develop new relationships, which I hope you enjoy._

_Once again, thank you for reading and please let me know what you think and leave a review! Should I continue? :)_


	2. Chapter 2

_Tessa_

Sitting outside of Will's house, well technically my Aunt Clary and Uncle Jace's house, I thought about what my mom had said to me before I left my house. She had told me to take a chance. What did she even mean? I was just going to my best friend's house to hang out, much like we did most nights.

Will and James Herondale were my absolute best friends and more like family than friends. James was like my little brother and Will and I had taken on a protective role for him. My relationship with Will was more complicated. For as long as I could remember, we had done everything together. We trained together, ate together, watched TV together and dreamed together. It was both of our dreams to make it in the professional mixed martial arts world. My dad and Uncle Jace owned the gym Will and I trained at and they were our coaches.

I looked down at the stupid sundress Mom convinced me to wear. Sometimes I felt bad that my mom didn't get a girly girl, but I was my father's daughter. I wore jeans and t-shirts most days and I competed in a sport that was predominantly male. I was different and I was okay with that, but even I could admit that I looked good in the dress. I was extremely fit from all of the training, but still had curves.

For some reason, I liked the idea of dressing up for Will. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't attracted to him. How could I not when we spent almost every free second together, not to mention the fact that he wasn't too terrible to look at. He was an exact replica of Uncle Jace, except for the green eyes. I had honestly never thought of Will in any other way than as my best friend, but in the past few weeks, he had been doing and saying things that made me look at him in a different light.

Like tonight, I asked him at the gym what we were going to be doing at his house and he said he had a surprise for me. He even went as far as to tell me that James wouldn't be joining us, which was weird because if we were all in the same place, you could usually find us together. It wasn't as if Will and I never spent time alone, but this seemed different and I found myself feeling nervous and butterflies filled my stomach, hence the dress.

Finally finding my resolve, I got out of my car and made my way to the front door. Even though I would normally just let myself in the house, I felt as if I should knock. I don't know what's going on with me. I was literally at that house every other day. It was just as comfortable as being in my own home, so why was I so nervous? Something felt different, something was different and I didn't know what it was.

"Hi, honey," Aunt Clary said as she opened the door and pulled me into her arms in a big hug. This woman was seriously amazing and like a second mom to me. "You look beautiful."

"Thanks," I said noticing that Uncle Jace and James were sitting at the breakfast bar eating dinner, but Will wasn't with them. "Sorry for interrupting."

"Oh, please." She waved me off as we walked into the kitchen. Uncle Jace hugged me and James and I performed our secret handshake. "Will is outside, Tess. Come on, I'll take you out there."

She placed her hand on my arm and led me toward the back door that led to the deck outside, which looked out onto the beach. As I stood on the deck, I could see Will standing closer to the water. The sun hadn't quite set yet, so the sky was illuminated in pinks and oranges. It reminded me of the pictures my parents had taken right outside this house before they got married that hung in the hallway leading to their bedroom.

Will was standing with his hands in his pockets and I could see him taking a deep breath. It was then that I noticed what he was standing next to. A blanket with a picnic basket was set up next to him and his laptop was open along with it. I didn't know what to think, didn't know what to believe. Aunt Clary nudged me with her elbow and I looked down at her because she stood a good six inches shorter than me; I got Mom's height. She winked at me before facing her son again and calling to him.

"Will," she called and he turned, smiling when he saw me. His smile was different, though. It wasn't the smile he gave when we were all hanging out and goofing off. It was I smile I realized then that he saved just for me. "Tessa is here, honey."

Will came barreling up the steps to the deck as I was removing my shoes and Aunt Clary turned to go back in the house. When he reached the step below where I was standing, he could look me in the eyes since he stood just over six feet tall and I noticed that his were shining and that his smile was reaching his eyes. He took my hand and dragged me down to the beach. I started laughing as we got to the blanket.

"Hurry, the sun is about to set," he said gesturing to the blanket for me to sit down. I sat down and tucked my legs underneath me seeing as I was wearing a dress. Will joined me and pulled his laptop closer to him.

"Well, hello to you, too," I teased as he concentrated on the music on his computer. I noticed that all of the music on his computer looked to be about twenty years old. Will had always preferred to listen to his dad's music than whatever was out now and I respected that about him. It also gave variety to my own music selection because I tended to steal music from him.

Just as the sun was starting to disappear into the horizon, Will pressed play on his computer and "All of Me," by John Legend started to play. My head snapped to look at Will, who had a knowing smile on his face. It was one of my favorite songs because I used to spy on my parents from the top of the stairs when I was little and they would dance to this song. I could practically feel the love passing through them and I had always wished to have someone love me like that.

I was too stunned to speak, so I sat and watched the sun disappear as the song that had always represented love and happiness to me played in the background. I had never considered myself an overly emotional person and in my sport, it was imperative to hide your emotions, but in that moment, I felt my eyes filling with tears. I willed them to go away because I couldn't stand the idea of crying in front of Will. When the sun was completely set and the song was over, I turned to face him.

"What's going on, Will," I asked nervously.

"Okay," he said before he took a deep breath and took both of my hands in his. "I need to tell you something, Tess, and if I don't tell you now, I never will." I nodded for him to continue when I was actually holding my breath while the possibilities of what he could say ran through my mind. "Tess, you're my best friend and you have been for basically my whole life. I couldn't imagine not spending every day with you. You are the best training partner and you call me on my shit, which most people don't bother to 're beautiful in every way possible. Your heart is the biggest I've ever experienced. I've known since I was ten years old that I liked you as more than a friend." I sucked in a breath of air and my heart soared. "I know that this might ruin our friendship, but I want to take that chance because I might not ever get the chance to again. This might sound crazy to you, but I just wanted to tell you how I feel."

I couldn't form words because in that moment, I realized that I had loved Will my whole life and disguised it as friendship even to myself. I closed my eyes and the tears I was trying to hold back fell. I felt Will's thumb swipe under my eye before his hand cupped my cheek and ran his thumb back and forth on my cheek.

"Tess, why are you crying?" He was freaking out. The only other time he had seen me cry was when I dislocated and snapped my arm the year before at practice. I was in so much pain that night that I couldn't hold it back. Looking back on that night, I realized who sat next to me for the twelve hours before I had surgery and held my hand. Will. Will had done all these little things my entire life that I never realized were what made me love him until now. "Oh my God, you don't feel the same way and now I've freaked you out and ruined our friendship. James was right."

His hand fell away from my face as he continued to ramble on and on about how James was right and he should have never told me his true feelings because now I didn't even want to be his friend. Instead of listening to his meltdown, I grabbed his face in both of my hands and pulled his lips to mine.

He must have been stunned at first because he froze, but when I moved to deepen the kiss, his hands came to my waist and held on for dear life, like he didn't want to lose the moment. I had kissed other guys before, but nothing I had ever experienced compared to kissing Will Herondale. The way he held me like I was going to break, but he knew that I was strong at the same time made me melt into him.

"Stop talking," I said against his lips before kissing him lightly and pulling away to look at his face. His eyes were still closed and he was grinning like there was no tomorrow. When he opened his eyes, they shone in the afterglow of the sunset. "Does that answer your question?"

He nodded excitedly and pulled me closer to him so I was practically on his lap. This felt right. This was what love was supposed to feel like, effortless. We didn't have to try to be with each other because it was already so easy. Will laid back on the blanket and I curled into his side listening to the sound of his heartbeat.

"So, does this mean you're my girlfriend," he asked as he kissed my hair.

"Do you want me to be your girlfriend," I answered with a question.

"Is that even a question?" I lifted my head from his chest to look up at his face. He brushed a piece of hair away from my eyes and cupped my cheek before pulled me to kiss me lightly. "I want you to be my girlfriend, Tess. Please be my girlfriend."

"Okay." I shrugged and put my head back on his chest. He squeezed my side and I let out a yelp and a girly giggle that I didn't know could come from me. "How are we going to tell everyone?"

"Oh, I guarantee that my mother has her face pressed to the kitchen window and is watching us, which means your mother is on the phone with her getting a play by play and our dads are going to be clued in soon enough."

"How sad is it that that is completely accurate." I laughed and felt the vibrations of Will's laughter on my cheek. "We could totally catch your mom spying on us right now."

"Let's do it." Will hopped up and reached down for my hand so he could help me up.

As we walked back to the house, Will wrapped his arm around my shoulder and held me against his side. I didn't know what to expect out of a relationship with Will, but I knew that it would be just like being his friend. We would go on with our lives as normal, but we would kiss occasionally, or more than occasionally because he was seriously good at it. I just couldn't wait to start this new chapter of my life with Will by my side.

* * *

_Thanks for reading! I promised myself that I wouldn't post this chapter until tomorrow, but as you will learn or already know, I am a very impatient person so when a chapter is ready, I want you all to see it! That means sometimes I'll post more than once a day, but sometimes I won't post at all, just be patient with me because I don't like keeping an update schedule. When a chapter is ready, you will get to see it!_

_Anyway, I hope you're enjoying the story so far! Let m know what you think and leave a review! :)_


	3. Chapter 3

_Clary_

"What's happening," Isabelle asked from the other end of the phone. I was shamelessly spying on my sixteen-year old son who was telling the girl he had loved for ten years how he felt. Isabelle's dream since she found out I was pregnant with a boy was hopefully coming true. "I know she feels the same way, but I don't know if she'll tell him."

"They're watching the sun set," I told her and watched our kids instead of the beautiful sunset. I didn't know the song Will was planning on playing for her because he said he felt it was too personal. Once the sun went down, I saw Will take Tessa's hands. "Okay, they're talking."

"Oh, why didn't I sneak over there so I could watch this too? I'm so freaking jealous right now."

"Because that would have been ridiculously obvious, Isabelle. I already feel bad for spying on them."

"No, you don't." I smiled I turned the sink on to make it look like I was doing dishes.

"Okay, I don't." Will put his hand up to Tessa's face, but pulled back abruptly. I knew what he was doing. My son was freaking out and my heart sank. I held off on telling Isabelle what was happening for a few seconds until I saw what happened next. While Will was blabbering on and on, waving his arms about, Tessa leaned forward and kissed him. "Oh my God, she kissed him! She kissed him!"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!"

I started doing a happy little dance around the kitchen, extremely happy that Will had finally told Tessa how he felt. Isabelle and I were laughing in each other's ears. She was yelling to Simon and telling him what had happened while I glanced out the window again and saw them lying down on the blanket. As a parent, I should have been worried about this, but they weren't going to do anything out in the open where we could all see them.

"What are you doing," Jace asked from behind me and I startled with a shriek as I turned around.

"Uh, Iz, I'm going to have to call you back," I said lifting the phone to my ear before hanging up the call. "Hi, hon, how was your workout?"

"Fine." He took a step closer to me and looked behind me. "What are you doing, Red?"

"Okay, okay. I was watching Will and Tessa." He laughed and placed his hands on my hips. "I'm that mom. I'm the mom that spies on her kids."

"Oh, Red. You are that mom, but it's because you care so much. We still love you." He kissed my forehead and I leaned up to kiss him. "So, how'd it go?"

"She kissed him, Jace." I smiled brightly up at him and he kissed the tip of my nose. Even after all these years, I loved Jace as much as I did when we first got married. He was the man of my dreams and I thanked God every day for the life this man had given me, for the undeniable, unconditional love he had shown me and for the two sons I loved more than anything. He looked out the window at Will and Tessa.

"Well, I'll be damned. The boy did good." I smiled up at him and grabbed the back of his neck pulling his lips to mine.

Jace quickly lifted me onto the counter and settled between my legs. He kissed me deeply and pressed our bodies together. Jace was still as muscular as ever; I don't think he's capable of having fat anywhere on his body. After he stopped fighting six years ago, he was adamant that he stayed in shape so he could still play with his kids. I can't tell you how many times I've walked into the living room to find a tag-team match between Will, James and Jace going on. I'm not talking about when they were little either; this was just last week. James definitely took after me with his artistic side, but he is still his father's son and likes to rough house.

Just as I was wrapping my legs around Jace's waist, I remembered where we were and that we could have an audience at any moment.

"Jace," I said pushing him away and trying to catch my breath. "The kids could come in at any moment."

"So," he brushed me off, burying his face in my neck and placing light kisses along my skin. "They know how they got here."

"Yeah, but I'm pretty sure they don't want a demonstration in the kitchen." I was trying to push him away, but was quickly forgetting what I was talking about. It was hard to concentrate when Jace was showing me how much he loved me. I was about to give in when I heard the back door slide open. I scrambled to push Jace away and he backed up to the other counter and leaned against it like nothing was happening.

"What are you guys doing," Will asked as he stopped at the breakfast bar and sat down with Tessa. They were holding hands and my heart soared.

"Nothing," Jace answered quickly because I was having difficulty forming words. "What are you guys doing?" Jace reciprocated the question to our son and his, hopefully, girlfriend.

"Oh, don't act like you don't already know." He glanced at the phone that was sitting next to me. "How's Aunt Iz, Mom?"

"She's fine," I answered nonchalantly because Isabelle was my best friend so it stands to reason that I would have been talking to her regardless of the spying situation.

"Mom, come on, we know you were watching us." I glanced over at Will and Tessa to see that Will's hand appeared to be on her knee. It reminded me of his dad, which made me smile dreamily.

"How dare you." I couldn't help it; I needed to at least act innocent. "I would never. I am your mother William and I would never violate your privacy."

"Fine, then it will come as a surprise to you that I have someone to introduce you to." Tessa stared at my son with the same look that I stared at my husband with. This wasn't just puppy love; it was the real deal.

"Honey, we've known Tessa her whole life. Being your girlfriend isn't going to change that." As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I threw my hand up to cover it. Shit. I was the worst spy ever.

"Aha!" Will pointed at me with a victorious smile on his face. I looked at Tessa and Jace, who were trying to stifle their laughter and glared at Jace. "I knew it! You were spying on us."

"Only because I was nervous for you." I crossed my arms over my chest and Jace came to my side dropping a kiss on my forehead and rubbing my back.

"And, let me guess, you had my mom on the phone the whole time," Tessa said leaning against the counter. I averted my eyes to avoid eye contact with all of them. "We know you two better than anyone, Aunt Clary. Of course, you were on the phone with my mom, but it's okay."

"I'm just so happy for you guys." I went and wrapped my arms around Tessa first because I was happy to refer to her as my son's girlfriend from now on. I held her tight remembering the first time I ever held her in my arms. She was so perfect in every way and a complete combination of her parents. I remember thinking that I couldn't wait to meet my own child. I had just found out that I was pregnant at that point and couldn't imagine loving anything more than the child growing inside of me.

I moved back to Jace's side and leaned against the counter as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder. James came into the kitchen from upstairs and slapped Will on the back.

"Congrats, bro," he said as he moved to sit on the other side of Tessa. I briefly thought of how this would change the dynamic of the group and quickly realized that nothing would be really different.

"How the hell do you know," Will asked his brother accusingly.

"Uh, my window looks out onto the beach, duh. I saw the whole thing. I'm honestly surprised she kissed you. I was betting on her slapping you and running away."

Will reached around Tessa to smack his brother, which quickly turned into them trying to hit each other without hitting Tessa, but leave it to her to defuse the situation. She grabbed both of their ears and yanked them down. They stopped fighting immediately and were begging for mercy.

"Knock it off," she scolded them before I could. Jace and I couldn't help but laugh from the other side of the kitchen. Tessa had always had such a hold over those two. I could remember them running around as small children and she would always scold them for doing something wrong before I could, which made my job as a parent that much easier. I never had to worry about them when they were with Tessa. She would keep them in line.

"Anyway, Mom, Dad," Will regarded us. "As I was saying earlier, you know Tessa as your best friends' daughter. You don't know her as my girlfriend, so I want to introduce you to my girlfriend, Tessa."

Well, that was just the cutest thing I had ever heard. Jace and I acknowledged that Tessa was now Will's girlfriend and I went to make myself some tea, asking if anybody else wanted any. I always loved the fact that we could have been hanging out on the couch, but we almost always ended up standing in the kitchen. I loved my kitchen. The memories wrapped up in that room were endless. While I made my tea, Will, Tessa and Jace were busy discussing things that had happened at the gym that day and their new training schedules. James showed them the new photos he had taken at the gym because, much like me, he loved to take photos of our family doing what they loved. When we shot at the gym together, I found a new favorite subject; James. I loved taking photos of him taking photos because I knew he loved it.

"Okay," I said as I sat down in the stool next to where Jace had sat while I was making tea. "So, we need to talk about some things. We are extremely happy for you two, but this is going to change some of the rules."

"All right," Will said as he glanced at Tessa with an amused expression. "Like what?"

"Like," Jace interjected. "No more being in each other's rooms alone with the door closed."

"That seems reasonable," Tessa agreed and dug her elbow in Will's ribs when she noticed him grimace.

"And if you're going to spend the night at each other's houses, you will do so in separate rooms," I added. "I think we're pretty cool parents, but I am not ready to be a grandparent, so these are the rules and they will be the same in both houses. Are we clear?" They both nodded, agreeing to the new rules. "Good, now, what are your plans for the night?"

"Um, we were probably just going to watch TV," Will replied with a shrug. "You know, like we normally do."

"Okay, well, we're going to go up to bed," Jace said pulling me by my hips as I scrambled to stay in the room. "Please, let us know what you're doing. I know that you don't really have a curfew, but if you plan on being here late, I would rather you stay here. You know where the guest bedroom is and I expect you to sleep in there, so just let your parents know what your plans are so your dad doesn't call me in the middle of the night."

Will and Tessa nodded as they made their way to the couch with James. Jace pulled me down the hall with me following reluctantly and when I was giving him a hard time, he scooped me up in his arms as I shrieked to carry me up the stairs. He finally set me down outside our bedroom and took my hand as he led me inside. I went to the bedroom to perform my bedtime routine. After I changed into a pair of yoga shorts and a tank top, some things never changed, I climbed in bed with Jace.

"Don't you think we should be down there with them," I asked as we slid deeper into the plush mattress.

"We have to trust them, right now, babe," he said kissing the tip of my nose. "I think the rules we set were pretty reasonable and they're good kids. They're not going to do anything stupid. Plus, James is out there with them. He can be our eyes for us."

I giggled knowing he was right. James wouldn't let them get away with anything, even if he was their best friend.

"You're a good dad, Jace." I kissed him lightly before he pulled me closer to him and I rested my cheek on his chest. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Red."

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_Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying the story so far. I really enjoyed writing this chapter and am really enjoying the dynamic between Jace and Clary and the kids. Let me know what you think and leave a review! :)_


	4. Chapter 4

_Will_

I felt like I was living in a dream that I didn't want to wake up from. After years of hiding my feelings from Tessa, we were finally together. What amazed me was how natural it felt. When we moved into the living room to watch TV with James, she just curled into my side on the couch without thinking twice. Every once in a while, I would kiss the top of her head and revel in how right it felt.

It was after midnight when I looked down and noticed that Tessa had fallen asleep. Since the Lewis house was almost thirty minutes away, it wasn't uncommon for us to sleep at each other's houses, especially on the weekends when we knew we had to be up early the next day to train.

James turned the TV off after I told him that we should probably go to bed. I tried to wake Tess up, but that girl could sleep through the apocalypse. Instead, I scooped her up into my arms and carried her up the stairs to the guest bedroom. She had changed into some of the clothes she left here earlier, so I didn't have to worry about her sleeping in that dress she was wearing. Man, she looked good in a dress. It wasn't very often that she wore them, but when she did, my heart stopped for a second. She was beautiful and she was finally mine.

I laid her gently down on the bed and pulled the blankets up over her. Brushing a strand of hair from her face, I leaned down and kissed her forehead. I closed the door quietly and headed to my own room.

After I changed into my pajama pants, I got into bed and lay awake staring at the ceiling. I was afraid to fall asleep and wake up realizing that this was all just a dream. Instead of sleeping, like I should have because I had to be up in a few hours to go to the gym, I grabbed my copy of A Tale of Two Cities from my bedside table and turned on my reading lamp to read. I had read that book hundreds of times, but each time I did, I found something new.

When I had read a few chapters, I felt my eyes start to get heavy and knew that I needed to go to sleep. Just as I was turning my reading lamp off, I heard my door open. Tessa was peeking in the door with a hesitant look on her face as if she were waiting for permission to enter. I gave her a nod, giving her permission and she entered my room closing the door behind her. Without a word, Tessa climbed into my bed and curled into my side.

"What are you doing," I whispered into her hair as I wrapped my arms around her. She was wearing the type of clothes she would wear to the gym, a tank top and shorts, not leaving much to the imagination.

"It's weird not sleeping with you," she whispered back and snuggled deeper into my chest. She was right, though. Our entire lives, we had slept in the same bed when we spent the night at each other's houses. It wasn't weird, it was just what we did, until a few years ago when we decided we probably shouldn't do it anymore, but even then, one of us would sneak into the other's bed. It was always completely platonic, but we just needed each other to sleep, like a security blanket.

"I know." I kissed her hair and inhaled her sweet scent. "You know, we're breaking all of the rules right now and we've only been together for six hours."

"Since when do you pay attention to the rules?" She chuckled and I squeezed her side.

"Since I don't want to get in trouble and risk not being able to be alone at all or lose sleep over privileges."

"Don't worry, I'll go back to my room before your parents wake up. We have to be at the gym early anyway."

"Okay." She pushed herself up so she was resting on her elbow and she could see my face.

"Do you want me to leave?"

"No, of course, I don't want you to leave, but what if my dad comes in in the middle of the night and sees you in here? We would get in so much trouble."

"Live a little, Herondale." She rested her head back on my shoulder and I figured the discussion was over. She was staying in my room for the night and that was that.

About thirty seconds after we stopped talking, I was finally able to fall asleep. When I woke up the next morning, I reached across the bed to find it cold, so I knew Tessa must have made it out of my room before my dad came to wake me up. After I put on my gym clothes, I made my way downstairs to the kitchen where Mom was making breakfast. Tessa was sitting at the counter with her plate of eggs and bacon in front of her. I walked up to the chair next to her and kissed her temple in greeting. She smiled at me and I couldn't help but take a mental picture to save that image forever.

We quickly ate our breakfast after Mom informed us that Dad had already headed to the gym, so I was going to ride with Tessa. The drive to the gym usually took about an hour. Once we were on the road, with me driving Tessa's car after a tiny argument, I reached across the console and held her hand before lifting it to my lips and kissing the back of it.

"I take it you got out of my room okay this morning," I said glancing over to Tessa and saw he cheeks turn red. "Tessa Lewis, are you blushing?"

"No," she said lowering her head into her hands to hide her face. I had never in my life seen Tessa blush and it was adorable. "Shut up."

"Hey, don't hide from me." She turned her head so I could see her face and that beautiful smile she was wearing.

"I don't understand what's happening with me. Before last night, I was never nervous around you and I sure as hell never blushed." I ran my thumb along her knuckles.

"Well, I've always been nervous around you, but I've just been really good at hiding it." She leaned over the console and kissed my cheek.

"You're cute."

"You're not so bad yourself." That adorable smile was back and I made it my mission to make her smile as much as possible. I pulled up to the gym and turned the car off. "Okay, so we're going to just go in there and train like we normally do. It's just another day, but we happen to be dating now."

"Will, why are you freaking out all of a sudden." She cupped my cheek and ran her thumb over my cheekbone, instantly calming me.

"Your dad is in there."

"And?"

"And, he's not just Uncle Simon anymore, he's my girlfriend's dad and that is scary as shit." She busted up laughing. "Why are you laughing? It's not funny, Tess."

"Oh, honey, my dad loves you like you're his son. You have nothing to worry about." She leaned over and kissed me full on the mouth.

"Yeah, and that was before I was making out with his daughter. I'm fully expecting him to drag me into the office and give me some speech threatening to kill me if I ever hurt you, which I wouldn't, by the way." Once again, Tessa leaned over and kissed me. "Are you trying to distract me by kissing me?" She nodded and I smiled against her lips before deepening the kiss and pulling her closer to me. We were interrupted, however by my dad banging on the hood of the car, so we pulled apart abruptly and nodded indicating we would be in shortly.

I got out of the car before running around to the passenger side and opening Tessa's door for her. We interlocked our hands and I carried her bag for her, you know, normal stuff. As we entered the gym, my cousin/uncle/we're not really related, but we call him our cousin or uncle, Max eyed our hands that were entwined. I led Tessa to the girl's locker room and kissed her quickly before making my way to the other side of the gym.

"Holy shit," I heard Max say from the mats. "You two finally got together?"

Max was twenty-six and was as much a part of our family as James and I were. His dad, Hodge, had trained my dad when he first went into MMA when he was sixteen and practically saved my dad's life. Dad basically helped raise Max and he worked at the gym and trained, since he was fulfilling his dream of being a mixed martial artist. He was like our older brother and we wouldn't have gotten away with half the thing we did if it weren't for him.

"Yes, we did," I said proudly as I put my bag down on a bench and took my shoes off. "Please, don't make a big deal about this. We're still the same people here for the same reason as always. We don't need anybody making a big deal out of it."

"Yeah, you're still the same people, but you make out now, right?"

"Why do you do this to me?" He smiled as Tessa came out of the locker room ready to train. I stood when she came close and didn't miss the smirk Max threw my way.

"All right, line up, we're starting with sprints," Max said and we all lined up at one end of the mats with a groan and started sprinting to the other end.

After the sprints to warm us up, we broke off into pairs to grapple on the ground. As usual, Tessa and I paired up. If I thought anything was going to be awkward between us, it would be this. For the first time in my life, I was worried about hurting her, which was ridiculous because she was just as good as me, but this was different.

The entire time we were rolling around on the mat, something was different and I couldn't tell what it was. Neither of us was going all out and that was the problem. We didn't want to beat each other. When Max told us to take a break, I pulled Tessa off to the side.

"What was that all about," I asked her with an accusing look.

"What do you mean," she asked. She knew exactly what I meant because I was doing the same thing.

"You know exactly what I mean, Tess. Why weren't you going all out?"

"You were doing the exact same thing, Will. Why don't we make a deal not to go easy on each other? I don't know why I was doing it in the first place, I mean it's not like we ever have before."

"Exactly, so can we please go back to normal?" She reached up and kissed my cheek.

"Just know that you're going to get your ass kicked." I chuckled as we made our way back to the mats for another workout.

Before I made it to the mats, Dad poked his head out of the office and asked me to come in. I closed the door behind me and sat down in the chair in front of his desk. Glancing around the room, I recognized all of the photographs as my mom's with some of James' thrown in as well. Dad loved to display their photos all over the place.

"What's up, Dad," I asked when he didn't speak for a minute. I was starting to get nervous and worried that something was wrong.

"How did you sleep last night," he asked and I knew what was happening. He knew Tessa had slept in my bed the night before.

"Fine." I was going to try and act innocent. "How did you sleep?" Dad smirked and I immediately regretted the question. "Actually, don't answer that. I don't want to know."

"I'm not stupid, Will. I checked on you all last night, so I know Tessa slept in your bed."

"We didn't do anything, I swear." I changed my tactic to defensiveness.

"I know, don't worry. I'm not going to tell your mother, but it can't happen again. I know that you're young and Tessa is your girlfriend, which we are so happy about. I think we have been more than gracious with the rules, but we could just as easily not let you sleep at each other's houses."

"Okay, I promise it won't happen again." Dad nodded agreeing that it wouldn't and dismissed me.

As I walked back out to the main floor, I couldn't help but think how much everything had changed in the past twenty-four hours. I had a girlfriend, who was also my best friend. Everything had changed, but it was for the better.

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_Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying the story! Let me know what you think and leave a review! :)_


	5. Chapter 5

_Simon_

When Isabelle was on the phone last night with Clary, I knew what was happening. My little girl was growing up and I didn't know how I felt about that. I loved Will like a son, but that didn't mean that I wanted his hands on my daughter. Seeing them walk into the gym together, holding hands, just about gutted me.

I saw Will walk out of Jace's office and knew I needed to talk to him so I pulled him into my office. When Jace and I became partners in the gym, we added on an office for me. Will sat down in the chair in front of my desk.

"What's up, Uncle Simon…uh…Mr. Lewis," Will stuttered, not knowing what to call me anymore.

"Will, calm down," I said trying to stifle my laughter. "I just want to talk to you." He nodded. "So, I know that you and Tessa are together now."

"Yes, sir." He was wringing his hands in his lap.

"I understand that your parents set some rules and I expect you follow them, especially in my house."

"Yes, sir."

"You know how much I love that girl and I expect you to treat her with respect. She deserves to be loved and treated right."

"Absolutely. I would never think of treating her any less. I love her."

"All right, get back to training." I said, ignoring his last statement. I wasn't ready for that part yet. He hopped up out of the chair with a nod and walked out of my office. I sat back and looked at the framed picture of my family sitting on my desk. Tessa was about three years old in the picture and she was wearing this frilly dress that she absolutely hated.

Isabelle tried so hard to make Tessa wear dresses and do girly things, but finally gave up when she was about five. Tessa always wanted to run with the boys and befriended Will and James early on. I knew she would eventually want to go into MMA, but I tried to hold it off as long as possible. Will started in the kids' class when he was five and Tessa would always sit on the edge of the mat and yell to him what she thought he should do.

Jace and I had talked about Tessa training, endlessly. When she and Will came to us when they were ten and explained that Tessa wanted to start training, I had to let her. She was better than most of the boys she trained with and I wouldn't allow myself to deprive her of her passion. Isabelle was worried when she first started training, but now she couldn't be more proud of our daughter.

When I really thought about it, Tessa and Will being together did make sense. I guess I had known since they were little that they were perfect for each other. Isabelle had been trying to push them together since they were babies, but I knew that if they were meant to be together, they would find a way on their own. I was actually proud of Will for confessing his feelings and I knew he would treat her right.

Next to the picture of my family on my desk was a picture of all three kids playing in the ocean when they were no older than ten. Even then, they had all been attached at the hip. It was a good moment when we all realized that the kids loved each other and we wouldn't really have to worry about them not having anyone. They would always have each other.

Jace came into my office and sat down, bringing me back to reality.

"Hey, man," he said as he sat down in the chair in front of my desk, exactly the way Will had just done. It really amazed me how much they looked alike. "Clary and Iz are bringing lunch, apparently and then they're taking James to some shoot they are doing together."

After Isabelle had Tessa, she put the sports photography on hold and partnered up with Clary to run the studio. They basically did any kind of shoot people wanted. The local high school even had them take some of their yearbook photos for the sports sections.

"Awesome," I said leaning my head back against my chair. "Have you watched them yet?" He knew what I was talking about, but I couldn't bring myself to go out to the main floor and watch Will and Tessa train together.

"Yeah, they were totally going easy on each other earlier. It was pretty adorable." I grimaced and he laughed.

"You don't get it. You have boys so you wouldn't understand what it's like to watch your little girl who used to think you were the only man in her world, snuggle up to some little man child. It sucks."

"Yeah, Will totally is a little man child, but you've known him his whole life. You know he loves her and I feel like if you had to choose someone for her, it would be him."

"Whatever." I rested my head on my folded arms on top of the desk. I heard the door open and Clary and Isabelle came into the office.

"Hey, boys," Clary said as she sat on Jace's lap and kissed him deeply. You would think they were the teenagers in the situation. Isabelle mimicked Clary and sat on my lap, but kissed me lightly. "We brought you food."

I wrapped an arm around Isabelle's waist holding her to me as she set the food out on my desk.

"Have you talked to Tessa," Isabelle asked me as we ate. I shook my head and looked away from her. "They're so cute, Simon. You should see them."

"They're acting the same way they always have you weirdo," Clary said from the other side of the desk.

"Right, but it's different because we know they're together." Isabelle kissed my cheek and ran her hand through my hair. I shook my head and laughed at their antics. When they were on the phone together the night before, I couldn't help but compare them to two gossiping teenagers.

"Well, we should probably get going, Iz," Clary proclaimed as she stood taking Jace's hand and leading him out of the office.

"Yeah, I'll be there in a minute," Isabelle said as she began to clean up our mess from my desk. Clary and Jace exited the office and I pulled Isabelle back down onto my lap. She turned to face me more and captured my lips with hers. She kissed along my jaw before returning to my mouth. Man, I loved her. My wife was perfect in every way. "Hi."

"Hi," I said with a chuckle. "What are you guys going to shoot?"

"It's a baseball game for the school's yearbook. James joined the staff so he's actually the one shooting, but he wanted us to come with him." I nodded as we fell into a comfortable silence. "What are you thinking about?"

"The fact that Tessa is growing up and that she doesn't need me anymore." She kissed my temple and rested her head on my shoulder while running her hand along my spine.

"Simon, Tessa will always need you." I scoffed. "I'm serious. Girls always need their dads; I mean, think about it. Who taught her how to drive? Who protected her at night when she had nightmares? Who sang her to sleep every night? Who taught her how to do a flying armbar? You did."

"I taught her how to do those things, but as soon as she learned how to do them, she ran off with Will."

"Will was her best friend. Of course, she would share things with him and you're not seriously jealous of a sixteen-year old kid, are you?"

"It's stupid, but I am. He's taking her away from me. She's not going to run to me for help anymore or look for comfort in me when she's scared. She's going to go to Will."

"I hardly think he's taking her away from you. She's always gone to Will for comfort, too, and you know that. She used to get so mad at us when she was little and Will would always talk her down. They're sixteen; they're not getting married and they just started dating. They've been best friends their entire lives and I think we all knew this was going to happen eventually."

"I know and I love Will, you know I do, but what if he breaks her heart? That would change everything."

"I know this sounds crazy, but I don't think either of them will break the other's heart. I think they are it for each other and it might take them a while to realize it, but they will end up together in the end." I nodded, knowing she was probably right. Will and Tessa were made for each other; I just hoped they didn't hurt each other along the way. There was a knock on the door and Tessa peeked her head inside the office. "Hi, honey."

"Hi," Tessa said as she came in the office and sat down in the same chair everyone else had sat in. Apparently, my office was a popular hang out spot today. "Can I talk to you guys?"

"Of course, what's up," I asked as Isabelle got up off of my lap and stood behind me.

"Well, Will and I wanted to go out to dinner tonight, like a date, but I just wanted to make sure it was okay with you first."

"Like a real date," Isabelle asked and I knew she was trying to stop herself from clapping like a small child.

"Yeah, like he's going to pick me up at the house and we'll actually go out to dinner, just the two of us."

"I don't have a problem with it, as long as you're home at a decent hour," I said as I tried to put on a supportive smile.

"Thanks, Dad." She came around the desk and wrapped her arms around me. I just had to accept the fact that my little girl was growing up. It wouldn't be easy, but Jace was right, if I had to choose someone to be my daughter's first boyfriend, it would be Will. I would definitely have some fun with him, though.

Isabelle kissed me goodbye before following Tessa out of the office. I took another minute to sit there before I went out to the main floor to do my portion of training for the day. When I walked out of my office, I saw Will and Tessa sitting cross-legged, facing each other on the mat. I whistled loudly, pulling them apart before I rattled off instructions for a circuit workout.

I loved training these people. There is nothing more gratifying than helping people achieve something they're passionate about. Watching a kid master a skill they've been working on for weeks is why I partnered up with Jace in the first place.

After an hour, we were finally done training for the day and I could go home to my wife. I watched Tessa and Will walk out of the gym hand in hand and realized that Will was looking at Tessa the same way I looked at Isabelle. How could I blame him for falling in love with her? She was her mother's daughter and she made it so easy to love her. Will kissed her lightly on the cheek and I respected that he didn't maul her in front of me. As he got in passenger seat of Jace's truck, I gave him a silent nod of approval and he reciprocated in understanding. Maybe, this wasn't such a bad thing at all.

* * *

_Thanks for reading! I hope you are all enjoying the story so far. I know that I've only gotten through one day, but it's because I'm doing all these different points of view and I kind of like it. It means the story will be longer in the long run. Anyways, so we'll have Will and Tessa's first date next chapter so look forward to that!_

_Let me know what you think and leave a review! :)_


	6. Chapter 6

_Tessa_

I stood in front of the full-length mirror in my room and smoothed out my dress. Why was I wearing a dress again? Oh, yeah because I had no clue what to wear on a date, especially a date with Will Herondale.

"Mom," I shouted downstairs. "I need your help!"

My mother came rushing up the stairs and into my room. "What's wrong, honey," she asked out of breath.

"What do you think of this dress?" I turned to face her and she smiled, placing her hand on her chest. Was that a tear in her eye? "Mom?"

"It's perfect, Tess. Will is going to love it." I was wearing a white sundress with an empire waist and that hit me just above the knee. My shoes were strappy sandals that I had only worn once. I had curled my hair and pinned half of it up, instead of my normal ponytail. The girl staring back at me in the mirror was exactly that, a girl. I couldn't say that very often and for the first time, it felt good to feel like a girl. I was constantly trying to prove myself to everyone else. I trained in a sport that was mostly male and I was constantly trying to prove that I could be just as good or better than everyone else.

"Are you sure," I asked checking my hair and making sure everything was in place. "You don't think it's too much?"

"Trust me, you look amazing." She took a step toward me and wrapped her arms around me. "I can't believe this is finally happening."

"Mom, stop." I shook my head and tried to get free from her grasp, but she wouldn't let up.

"I'm serious, Tess. You two were made for each other and even if I didn't want this to happen, I would still see it."

I nodded, knowing she was right. It just took me a little longer to realize my feelings for Will were more than that of a best friend. Just then, the doorbell rang and I knew if I didn't get downstairs, Dad would scare the crap out of Will. I still found it hilarious that he was so scared of my dad I mean the man changed his diapers. He had no reason to be afraid of my dad, but it was kind of fun to watch him sweat.

"I guess we should go downstairs before Dad scares Will away," I said, finally pulling out of Mom's embrace.

"Yeah, he's been acting weird all day," she said with her arm around my shoulder as we walked out of my room. "Maybe we should let them sweat it out for a minute." She smiled an evil smile and I laughed as we hit the top of the stairs. We stood there listening to Dad and Will have an awkward conversation downstairs. I tried not to laugh, but Will was just so cute as he stuttered his answers to Dad's questions. I finally decided to save him and made my way downstairs.

"Hey," I said, interrupting their conversation and snaking my arm around Will's waist. The look of discomfort he felt toward my arm around his waist wasn't left unnoticed.

"Hi," Will said nervously as his eyes darted between my dad and me. "I guess we should get going." I nodded and smiled up at him before hugging my parents and Will followed me, shaking Dad's hand and hugging Mom.

Once we were outside of my parents' view, Will entwined our fingers together. I glanced at him from the corner of my eye and spotted his signature Herondale smirk. They all had it and it had magical powers, which now included making butterflies take flight in my stomach. Will led me to the passenger side of his car and opened the door for me. He jogged around the front of the car and settled into the driver's side, turning the car on.

"So, where are we going," I asked once we were on the road.

"You'll see," he answered elusively.

"Come on, you know I don't like surprises." He was trying not to laugh at me because obviously the night before was a complete surprise and I did like it. A lot. "Just tell me, Will."

"I like surprising you, so get used to it." He reached for my hand, but I yanked it away and crossed my arms over my chest. "Really?" I remained silent and looked out the window. "You're so damn competitive."

"You love it." I smirked, daring him to prove me wrong.

"Oh, babe, you forget that I am even more so competitive than you are."

"Babe?" He glanced over at me with a confused expression. "What is that?"

"You don't like it?" I shook my head trying not to laugh. "I thought I would just try it out."

"Why 'babe,' though? That's so typical." I could tell I was making him uncomfortable, but I wasn't going to back off from my pestering of Will just because he was my boyfriend. His hands tightened on the steering wheel and I placed my hand on his forearm, rubbing it back and forth.

"What do you want me to call you, then?" I moved my hand to the back of his neck and began to rub the tension out of the spot.

"How about my name?" I smiled trying to relive some tension. We had been on our date for five minutes and I had already caused a problem. "Why do you want a nickname for me so badly?"

"I don't know. I've called you 'Tess' my whole life and my whole life I was your best friend. I guess I just wanted to call you something that let people know that you're my girl."

I leaned across the console and kissed his cheek. "That's cute." One more kiss closer to his lips. "Call me something that means something to both of us, okay?" He nodded and stopped at a red light giving me the opportunity to kiss him full on the lips. My position was awkward, but it didn't matter because I had quickly learned that kissing Will was one of my favorite things to do. I jerked back into my seat when the car behind us honked signaling that the light was green. I giggled and reached across the console to take his hand. He lifted our joined hands and kissed the back of mine.

Will pulled up to a nice restaurant that I could remember going to for my mom's birthday. It was so different from our usual choices and I kind of expected him to take me to Taki's, our favorite dive restaurant where you could get the best onion rings known to man. I looked down at my dress and hoped that I was dressed appropriately. Looking over at Will, I finally noticed that he was wearing a nice button down shirt and a tie. When had Will ever worn a tie? However, the boy looked damn good.

Once Will came around to open my door, we headed inside the restaurant hand in hand. I'm not going to lie; the restaurant was beautiful. The tables along the back wall looked out onto the ocean and I could see that the sun was setting, illuminating the sky in pinks and yellows and oranges, much like the night before. I smiled at the memory. The tables were covered in white tablecloths and instead of normal lighting, candles lit the tables and the area around them. It was definitely romantic, but it wasn't us.

I took a deep breath as I felt myself being pulled toward a table. I smiled nervously as Will pulled my chair out for me and I sat down. He smiled at me from his seat across the table and he looked so adorable and I knew he was trying so hard, too hard. Glancing at the menu, I could pronounce three of the items and I had never eaten any of them. I finally just set the menu down and studied Will.

He was studying the menu intently and I could tell by the crease between his eyebrows that he was having trouble pronouncing the items as well. He finally looked up from the menu and gave me a nervous smile.

"So, what are you going to get," he asked, setting down his menu.

"Will, what are we doing here," I ignored his question. "Don't get me wrong. This place is beautiful, but we aren't comfortable here."

"You're right." He placed his head in his hands and I wanted nothing more than to wrap my arms around him. "I'm sorry, but I just wanted to do something we had never done before."

"Will, there are plenty of things we've never done before. Hell, you could have taken me to any restaurant we've ever been too and it would still be something we've never done before because we've never been on a date before." I placed my hand on top of his on the table. "This is new for me, too. I don't necessarily know what to do or how to act, but I think our best bet is to act normally. We wouldn't come here to hang out with James and mess around, so why would we come here alone. One of the cool things about us is that we already have all of these special places that mean a lot to us."

Without another word, Will stood from the table and offered me his hand yanking me up from the table and pulling me from the restaurant. We hurried into his car and he started the engine, backing out of the parking lot quickly. He glanced over at me with a huge smile on his face. I turned the radio up and started singing along to whatever song was playing. We were back to our ridiculous selves and it felt so much better than trying to be some other people in that restaurant. Will pulled up to the In-n-Out drive through and ordered our usual meals. We both got double doubles, animal style with fries and a shake, chocolate for me, vanilla for Will.

After we had our food, Will drove quickly to the drive-in movie theater and we settled in for an old movie while we ate our delicious burgers. We shifted to the backseat and I settled myself into Will's side as he draped his arm around my shoulders.

"Did you know that my parents' first date was at In-n-Out," Will asked as I gulfed down my burger.

"That makes sense, actually," I said around my mouthful of burger.

"It made sense for them and it definitely makes sense for us." He kissed the top of my head. "This feels so much better than being in that restaurant." I finished off my burger and fries before setting the boxes aside, snuggling deeper into Will's side and sucking on my milkshake. "What do you think, will there be a second date?"

I lifted my head from his shoulder to look into his eyes. "There will most definitely be a second date and a third and a fourth and many, many more." He dipped his head to kiss me lightly. What started out as a sweet kiss quickly turned into something more. Will gripped my waist and pulled me onto his lap so I was straddling his hips. I set my empty milkshake cup down on the ground. In true drive-in movie fashion, Will turned us so we were now lying across the backseat of the car with me lying on top of him. His hands found my hips and held me against him. My fingers wove into his hair and held on tight.

Will separated himself from my mouth to trail kisses down my neck and along my collarbone and his hand inched under the hem of my dress to rest on my thigh. We were both gasping for air when I realized that if we didn't stop, there was nothing stopping us and I wasn't ready for that. I knew Will was the one, but I just wasn't ready yet. I pushed myself up so I was sitting up and my hands were on Will's chest.

"Stop," I said breathlessly. "We need to stop."

"You're right," Will said, closing his eyes and tilted his head back against the door of the car. "Apparently the drive-in was how James happened. That was one story I didn't want to hear." He chuckled nervously and I couldn't help but join him. Uncle Jace was always so forthcoming with stories of his youth. Will always complained and said some images just couldn't be erased. "I'm sorry, I got carried away."

"It wasn't your fault. I'm just as much to blame as you." I pushed his hair back from his face so I could see his beautiful green eyes. "We just need to press the brakes a little."

He nodded and sat up with me still on his lap. I shifted off of him and settled back into his side with his arm around me. We watched the rest of the movie snuggled closely together, stealing occasional kisses and enjoying each other's company. When the movie was over, we reluctantly moved back to the front seat of the car.

Will held my hand the entire way to my house and when we pulled into my driveway, I didn't want him to leave. I knew I couldn't ask him to stay the night because we were going to be pushing our luck if we just started staying at each other's houses for no reason. I was still convinced that Jace knew I slept in Will's room the night before, even though he hadn't said anything, well, at least to me. Will walked me to the front door and we stood outside of it for a few minutes before we said anything, effectively ending the night.

"I don't want you to leave," I admitted with a whisper. Will wrapped his arms around me, pulling me to his chest.

"I know," he mumbled into my hair. "I'm pretty sure your dad wouldn't like me staying tonight, but I'll see you tomorrow at the gym and we can hang out at my house after. The beach is calling our names." I smiled and nodded.

"Okay, I guess you should go." I pulled back and looked up into his eyes. He dipped his head to press his lips against mine. I was quick and sweet, but it left me wanting more.

"Goodnight, Angel."

Now that was a name I could approve of. Best first date ever.

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_Thanks for reading! I'm sorry it's been a few days since i've updated, but I've been sick and writing just hasn't happened. Please forgive me ;) Anyway, I hope you're enjoying the story as much as I'm enjoying writing it! Please feel free to let me know what you think and leave a review! :)_


	7. Chapter 7

_James_

I set my phone down when I heard my bedroom door open. It was after midnight, so I knew it had to be Will wanting to tell me about his date with Tessa. No one was happier for my brother and best friend than me, but I had other things to worry about at the moment, things that no one knew about.

Will dropped into the beanbag chair in the middle of my floor and I sat up in my bed turning my lamp on. I knew he wouldn't leave until he told me about his date, so I asked.

"Hey, bro," I began in our usual greeting. "How was the date?"

"Well, it got off to a rocky start," he said and I raised my eyebrows in question, encouraging him to continue. "She hated the restaurant."

"Did I not tell you she was going to hate it?" He nodded and rolled his eyes not willing to admit that I was right. "So, what did you do?"

"We had barely sat down when she said something, so we left and got some burgers and went to the drive-in. It was perfect." The smile on his face told me everything I needed to know, but I couldn't pass up the chance to bug him.

"So you took her to the drive-in to make out with her? Classy."

"Don't be an ass." He threw a pillow at my head that I easily deflected. "It was a perfect date for us and she loved it."

"Loved your tongue in her mouth or loved the movie?" I knew I was getting to him, but I couldn't miss the opportunity to knock Will down a few pegs. I knew better than anyone that Will inherited his ego from our dad. I definitely had an ego and I admit it, but Will was Jace Herondale reincarnate.

"Why do I even talk to you?" He rested his head in his hands and I stifled my laughter.

"Because you're a loser and I'm your only friend." I said matter-of-factly. He knew I was just messing with him because it was always a joke between the three of us that we needed to find new friends, but in the end, we didn't need anyone else. We were just fine with our little group. Will shook his head and stood up from the beanbag chair.

"Since you are obviously not taking this seriously, I'm going to bed." He turned to leave and opened the door to my room.

"Will," I stopped him. "I really am happy for you guys. I know I give you a hard time, but just know that I am team Wessa all the way."

"Thanks," Will mumbled before leaving my room and closing the door quietly.

My brother and I had a unique relationship. We were so close in age that we really were best friends. I was just a year younger than Will and Tessa in school. We loved to mess with each other, but in the end, we knew that we would do anything for the other. Will and I definitely gravitated to separate parents when we were younger, but that didn't mess with our bond. Our dad likes to say that the family split up into teams a long time ago, which is true sometimes, but we really were a family unit. I love my relationship with my parents and I wouldn't trade my brother for the world.

Even though Will and I were close, there was one thing even he didn't know about me and she was standing on my balcony waiting for me to let her in. When I was little, my mom used to take me to the studio with her all the time. Aunt Isabelle became a partner in the studio before I was even born, but Isabelle's cousin Gideon had a wife named Sophie, who worked for Mom before Simon and Isabelle even got married. Gideon and Sophie got married shortly after my parents did and had a daughter a few months after I was born named Barbara. Barbara Lightwood.

Barbara fit in with our group when we were little because Gideon and Sophie had become a part of the parents' group of friends. I'm not going to say that my love for her was undying since we were toddlers like Will and Tessa, but I had always noticed her and noticed when she left. Barbara was an extremely talented ballet dancer and was offered a spot in a performing arts school a few hours away when we were eight and the whole family moved so she could pursue her dreams of becoming a dancer.

When she left, I remembered thinking that I would see her again someday. The school was only a few hours away and her dad was Isabelle's cousin. That had to count for something, right? Well, I didn't see Barbara for six years.

A year ago, I was selected by Barbara's school to shoot their annual showcase. The name of the school didn't even register when I got the offer, but I went to the showcase and was surprised when Barbara walked out onto the stage. The pictures I took of her are still some of my favorites. She looked so graceful and beautiful on the stage and I couldn't take my eyes off of her. After the showcase, I went backstage and talked to her. Not only was she a beautiful young woman and a beautiful dancer, but she had the biggest heart I had ever experienced. We rekindled our friendship and exchanged phone numbers.

I went home that night more excited than I had ever been about a girl. For some reason, I couldn't bring myself to tell anyone that I had seen Barbara that night. A few weeks later, Barbara was hurt during a rehearsal and blew out her knee, along with a bunch of torn ligaments in her ankle. She was told she would never have a professional dance career and I had been the only one able to talk her through her tough time. We talked on the phone every night and discussed her dreams and how she felt about not being able to reach them. She made new dreams and began healing with my help.

A few months ago, Sophie and Gideon decided they wanted to move home, so they moved down the street form our house. For the past two months, Barbara and I had been sneaking into each other's bedrooms at night just to talk. Nothing else happened, we just enjoyed each other's company. Was she my girlfriend? I didn't know yet, but we were definitely more than friends. No one knew about any of this and it felt kind of nice having something that was purely mine that no one in my family stuck their noses in. Don't get me wrong. I love my family, but being close means everyone knows everyone's business.

When I heard the light tapping on my window, I knew it was time to let Barbara in to my room. I unlatched the window and held out my hand to help her through the window. Once her feet landed on the floor, our arms were around each other. It was normal for us to just hold each other for a few minutes before we said anything.

"Hey, B," I whispered into her hair.

"Hi, Jem," she mumbled into my chest. She was much shorter than me and only reached my chest. She was also the only person who called me Jem. It started when we were little and she never stopped, not that I wanted her to. "How did Wessa's date go?" I chuckled at the use of their names combined. We had started calling them this, months ago when I told her of Will's feelings for Tessa.

"Apparently, they went to the drive-in and had a great time." I pulled her over to my bed and got settled. It was the same routine every night. I sat down on the bed, leaning my back against the headboard and she curled into my side with my arm wrapped around her.

"Classic." She flung her arm across my middle and snuggled deeper into my side. I reached over to turn the lamp off knowing we were going to fall asleep soon. "I knew she wasn't going to like that restaurant."

"I tried to tell him, but everything worked out in the end." I kissed the top of her head. "Do you ever think about the whole date thing?"

"What do you mean?" She tried to stifle a yawn and I knew we shouldn't be having this conversation, but it was the only time we could and I didn't want to have it over text or on the phone.

"What are we doing, B?" She pushed herself up and turned to face me. It was dark in the room, but I could still see how beautiful she was. "What are we? Are we dating? Are we just really close friends who happen to kiss on occasion? I need you to tell me where we stand here."

"Where do you want to stand, Jem?" She was turning my questions around on me, but I knew what I wanted and I wanted to know what she wanted.

"That wasn't the question, B." She took a deep breath, sitting up and facing me completely before taking my hands in hers.

"As far as I'm concerned, I like you, a lot. I want to be your girlfriend, but we need to tell people about our relationship. I've agreed to keep our nights a secret because our parents would freak out, but if I'm going to be your girlfriend, I don't want to hide it. Sometimes I feel like you're ashamed of our friendship because no one in your family knows about it and I know how close your family is."

"B, I just didn't want them all up in my business. It has nothing to do with you because I like you so much and I want you to be my girlfriend." I made a bold move and leaned forward to kiss her lips lightly. "No hiding it. I don't want to hide you anymore." Her eyes lit up before she closed the distance between us and pressed her mouth against mine, wrapping her arms around my neck while I wrapped mine around her waist. "Wait." I pulled away slightly. "Barbara Lightwood, will you be my girlfriend and meet my family as such and endure my embarrassing and overbearing parents?"

Instead of answering, she nodded and kissed me hard. We had kissed before, but they were always friendly kisses before we fell asleep. This was completely different. We belonged to each other and we knew it. I was hers and she was mine. When we finally pulled apart, I tucked her into my side and pulled the covers up over us. I listened to her breathing as it evened out and she drifted off to sleep. I kissed the top of her head and inhaled her scent. I couldn't believe what had just happened.

There was no way I was going to fall asleep then. My adrenaline was still pumping and my mind was running rampant. I began thinking about introducing Barbara as my girlfriend to my family. I was different than Will. With Will, they knew he loved Tessa when they were seven. It was inevitable for them to end up together and they loved Tessa. Barbara was essentially an outsider, even though our parents were friends. They had been gone for a long time and my parents hadn't watched her grow up like they had Tessa.

None of this really worried me, though. I knew they would have to be insane to not love Barbara.

* * *

_Thanks for reading! _

_Okay, so this chapter was one of those moments that something just clicked and I got so excited about it. I knew I needed to do a James chapter and I was wracking my brain about what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted James to get a girl, but I couldn't think of one until I thought of Sophie and Gideon's kids. So, if you were wondering Barbara Lightwood is actually the daughter of Gideon and Sophie, I checked the family tree. _

_I now this is a bit unorthodox because everyone associates James with Tessa, but I didn't want to have a love triangle between two brothers. Plus, this is James Herondale, not James Carstairs, which is why only Barbara calls him Jem. _

_So, please let me know what you think about this idea and leave a review...good idea? Bad idea? Let me know! :)_


	8. Chapter 8

_Jace_

Sunday mornings were the best because my girl always made French toast, my favorite. For sixteen years, Clary had made French toast every Sunday and it was perfect.

I came up behind Clary and wrapped my arms around her waist as I rested my chin on her shoulder while she cooked breakfast. The kids would be down soon, but I lived for the moments in the mornings when it was just Clary and me. We just stood there in silence while she flipped the delicious bread on the griddle. I started to sway and took her with me before turning her around in my arms and dancing her around the kitchen. She laughed that laugh that I could live off of and rested her head on my chest.

I dipped Clary back and kissed her as Will walked in the kitchen.

"Ugh, I would like to get through the morning without having to watch my parents make out," Will huffed as he sat down at the bar. Clary giggled and buried her face in my chest.

"And, I would rather not watch you and your girlfriend make out at the gym," I shot back at him and we laughed as Clary moved back to the stove. "Where's your brother?"

"I don't know. His door was still closed when I walked past his room."

"Weird." I leaned back against the counter and poured myself a cup of coffee before pouring one for Clary. "He's usually up way before you."

He simply shrugged before I saw James walking down the hall and into the kitchen. He looked disheveled and tired, not like his normal self. James sat down next to his brother and rested his head on top of his crossed arms on the counter.

"Okay…" I turned and gave Clary a look that said we needed to get to the bottom of this. James was always up before all of us and in the best mood in the mornings. "How was your date, Will? Did she hate the restaurant?"

"If everyone knew that Tess was going to hate the restaurant, why didn't anyone say so," Will asked, animatedly waving his arms in the air and I had to try to stifle my laughter, along with James.

"We did tell you, idiot," James said from beside Will. "You just wouldn't listen to us."

"Fine, whatever." Apparently Will was done talking about the subject.

"Stop being a baby and tell us how it went," Clary said as she placed plates of French toast on the counter. Will remained silent and I knew it was killing Clary because she wanted to know how his date went so badly. Instead of hearing about Will's date, though, James decided he needed to say something.

"I need to talk to you guys about something," James finally spoke up.

"What's wrong, honey," Clary asked going into full-on mom mode.

"Nothing is wrong, I just wanted to ask if I could invite someone over for the barbeque tonight." My head snapped to face Clary and she had the same expression I assumed I had because James had never mentioned anyone other than Tessa or Will in years.

"Who do you want to invite," Clary asked.

"Well, you know Barbara Lightwood, right?" We all nodded and I had to stifle my laughter at the look on Will's face. I had a sneaking suspicion that James was about to tell us something important. "Um, well I never told anyone this, but we've sort of been talking for a while. Remember that showcase at that art school I shot? Well, it was her school and we got to talking afterward. As you know, they all moved back here a few months ago and Barbara and I have been hanging out."

"That's great, honey, but why wouldn't you tell us," Clary asked as I put my arm around her shoulder and rubbed her arm.

"I don't know. It just felt like something that was all mine and I didn't want to share her."

"So, is she your girlfriend, or what," Will asked around a mouthful of French toast. My son, eloquent as ever. Clary and I subconsciously leaned forward, wanting to know the answer.

"Yes, she's my girlfriend." I could feel Clary wanting to lunge forward and wrap her arms around our son, but I held her back. Without looking at her, I knew she had the dopiest grin on her face. "So, she's coming over tonight, but I have some rules."

"Rules for what," I asked. "For us? Why would we possibly need rules?"

"Have you met yourselves?" He shook his head and laughed. "But seriously, just try to be normal, for once. I don't want Mom watching me from the window or Will making rude comments about me or you trying to wrestle me in front of her. I love you guys and I love our dynamic, but we need to ease her into our weirdness. We're weird and we love it, but she was at a strict performing arts school for six years. I'm not saying she's uptight, but she's not used to the freedom that we have in our house."

"Don't worry, Jay," Will said slapping James on the back. "She's going to love us."

Well, I can honestly say I wasn't expecting that, but I was happy for both of my sons. I knew how amazing love was and I wanted that for them. For sixteen years, I had known a love that was unlike any other. When I looked at my wife, I couldn't imagine my life without her. Watching her with our boys made me fall in love with her even more every single day.

After breakfast, the boys and I cleaned the kitchen for Clary while she went into her office to work on some photos. I loved my kids. They were the coolest and I loved the kind of relationship I had with them. Us cleaning the kitchen meant Will would spray us with water and then we would start hitting each other with dish towels. It was all just so fun. When we were finished cleaning, the boys ran upstairs to get ready for the barbeque. I couldn't help but laugh at their nervousness to see their girls.

During the summer, we always had barbeques every Sunday with the Lewis' because we lived on the beach and they had a pool, so we would switch off houses. It was just something we started doing when the kids were younger to get them active and tire them out. It was just a good time where we didn't have to worry about the gym or the studio and we could just spend time with our friends.

I walked into my bedroom to find Clary sitting on the edge of the bed. She had her hands resting in her lap and her head was bowed. She always looked so small and beautiful with her hair fanning out around her face. I walked over to her and knelt down in front of her, tilting her head up so I could see her. She gave me a small smile and her eyes shone with unshed tears.

"Clary, what's wrong," I asked with a hint of worry in my voice as I cupped her cheek and ran my thumb along her cheekbone.

"Jace, I'm late," she said simply and my face scrunched in confusion.

"Red, don't worry about it. No one cares if we eat a little later than normal. We're not on a set timeline." She let out a laugh and eyed me with raised eyebrows.

"No, babe, you're not understanding me." She took a deep breath. "I'm late, like late, late." She gestured to her stomach and my eyes widened with understanding.

"Are you…" I trailed off as she grabbed my wrist of the hand that was still cupping her face and she leaned into my touch.

"I don't know. I have a test, but I haven't taken it yet." She glanced down before she continued like she was embarrassed and couldn't look me in the eye. "This is ridiculous. I'm probably not even pregnant. How ridiculous would it be for us to have another kid right now? The boys are almost grown."

"Hey." I took her face in both of my hands and forced her to look at me. "It would be amazing. So what, if the boys are grown? Another baby made from our love would still be loved just as much as the boys. Why don't we go take the test and then we can talk more about this."

She nodded before I kissed her lightly and she moved to the bathroom. I moved to sit on the bed and waited for Clary to come out of the bathroom. A few minutes later, Clary opened the door to the bathroom with the test in her hand and came over to sit next to me.

"We have to wait a few minutes," she said as I wrapped my arm around her and rubbed her arm. She leaned her head against my shoulder and I knew she was nervous. Having a baby at her age was risky, but I couldn't help being just a little excited. We sat in silence letting our thoughts take over before we looked at the test. "I think it's ready."

"Okay," I said and gave her a small squeeze of comfort. "But, before we look at it, I want you to know that I love you, so much." She nodded and I took her hand before she flipped the test over to see the result.

My heart stopped and Clary's grip on my hand tightened. Pregnant. We were going to have another baby.

"Clary," I said as I turned to see her blank face. "Red, look at me." I took her face in my hands as her tears started to fall.

"What are we going to do, Jace?" She looked so scared. I knew all of the thoughts running through her head. "What are Will and James going to think?"

"Red, we are going to love this baby, that's all we can do and the boys won't think anything. They'll think it's cool that they're getting another sibling. Please, don't worry about anyone else. I just want you to concentrate on keeping yourself and this baby healthy." She nodded and threw her arms around me.

"We're having a baby." She buried her face in my neck.

"Yeah, we are." I chuckled as I thought about the reality of the situation. The day before, I had been worried about Will getting Tessa pregnant too soon, but now Clary was pregnant. "I love you." I pulled her head up and kissed her, hard. I needed to convey everything I was feeling in that kiss.

When we pulled apart, I lowered my hands to her stomach and leaned down to placed kisses along her skin.

"I love you, so much," she whispered as I lowered myself onto the ground and rested my head in her lap. "How the hell are we going to tell Will and James?" Her smile was back and I wanted to make sure it stayed there.

"They're going to freak out." I chuckled and held her hand. "When do you want to tell them?"

"I feel like we should tell them soon, but I don't want to get their hopes up. I can't be that far along and I know that nothing is certain until I get past the first trimester, but at my age nothing is certain."

"I think we should tell them sooner rather than later because I don't want them to worry about you if you get sick or something. Plus, I know they would want to know what is going on. They're very protective of you."

"Trust me, I know. I wonder where they get it from." I squeezed her side and she squealed. "Let's tell them before the barbeque. I don't want to tell Isabelle and Simon, yet. I'll tell her later."

"Okay, we'll tell them today." We sat in silence for a while as I rested my hand on her stomach. I couldn't believe this was happening, but I couldn't hide my excitement. "We're having a baby."

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:)


	9. Chapter 9

_Will_

After breakfast, I showered and put on Tessa's favorite shirt because I liked the way her face lit up when I wore it. She had bought it for me for Christmas last year and it was a really nice shirt. I went in search for my little brother as I finished getting ready.

The little guy had a girlfriend and I couldn't believe it. When I looked back to when we were little, it made sense that James and Barbara ended up together. They gravitated toward each other, just as Tessa and I did.

James was sitting on his bed, texting someone when I plopped down in his beanbag chair. He ignored me as I sat there, waiting to be acknowledged.

"Who are you texting," I sing-songed.

"I'm pretty sure that's none of your business," he shot back and I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Oh, so it's Barbara. Tell her I said hi." He shook his head and rolled his eyes as I leaned back in the chair and looked up at the ceiling. To be honest, I was a little upset that James never told me about Barbara. We told each other everything and I didn't understand why he felt he couldn't talk to me about it. "Why didn't you tell me, Jay?"

"I don't know." He threw his head back against the wall taking a deep breath and tossing his phone on the bed.

"I just don't get it. The moment I decided to tell Tess how I felt about her, I told you. I tell you everything and something big happens to you and you don't tell me."

"I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you, but every time I went to, you started talking about Tess and I just couldn't get a word in. Don't get me wrong, I want you to talk about her, but sometimes you don't let anyone else talk."

"Okay." We didn't need to say anymore because we knew we would be there for each other no matter what. He was right. When I was getting up the nerve to Tess how I felt about her, I wouldn't shut up to James about it. I had been completely self-centered and forgot all about my brother. "I think it's great, by the way."

"Yeah?" I nodded. "Can I tell you something?" I nodded again, encouraging him to continue and letting him know that I was listening and that I was there for him. "So, since she's moved back down the street, Barbara and I have been sneaking to each other's houses every night and sleeping together, just sleeping."

"Wait." I shook my head and tried to process the information. "You are doing something wrong? James Herondale is a degenerate?"

"We don't do anything, but sleep, asshole." He threw a pillow at my head and I laughed. "Don't act like Tessa didn't sleep in your room the other night. I know Dad saw you, too, so it looks like I'm way better at hiding things because this has been going on for two months."

"Wow, I'm impressed." James went back to texting Barbara and I turned his TV on to play some video games. Why I didn't have a TV in my room was beyond me, but it made sense since I was almost always in James' room.

After a while, I decided to go back into my room and give Tessa a call. I was going to see her in an hour, but I just liked hearing her voice and I hadn't talked to her since our date. I was halfway down the hall when I heard Dad call upstairs.

"Hey, family meeting in two minutes," he shouted from the bottom of the staircase. "Get your asses down here."

I instantly panicked thinking that Dad had told Mom about Tessa sleeping in my room. James came out of his room with a perplexed look on his face.

"They know," I simply stated. "Oh god, they're going to give us 'the talk.'"

"Calm down," James said as we started walking downstairs. "Just act natural. We don't know if they know anything so don't start acting guilty."

We made our way downstairs and into the living room where Mom and Dad were sitting on the loveseat. I sat down on the couch and faced them as James sat down in the big chair in the corner. Mom and Dad stared at us for a second and I was sure they were about to come down on me for letting Tess sleep in my room.

"What's up guys," James spoke up after a few minutes of silence. Dad took Mom's hand and took a deep breath.

"Well, your mother and I have something to talk to you boys about," Dad finally said. His formal one was really freaking me out. When had he ever called Mom our mother? It was just weird.

"Actually, we have something to tell you," Mom piped up from beside him.

"What's going on," I asked after she paused again. "You're really starting to freak me out."

"Okay, fine," Mom threw her hands up. "I guess there's no easy way to say this. I'm pregnant."

Well, I definitely wasn't expecting that. My mouth hung open as I stared at my parents who were sitting and waiting for our reactions. James was in the same state as I was and I felt like hours went by before anyone said anything.

"But, you're old," I said when I could finally form words.

"Gee, thanks," Mom slumped back into the couch. "Apparently I'm young enough to have a baby."

"That means that you guys still do it." I leaned forward and put my head between our knees. "Ugh, I'm going to be sick."

Someone hit me on the back of the head and I snapped my head to see James.

"I think what Will means to say is congratulations," James said from beside me. "When did you find out?"

"This morning," Dad said as he shook James' hand and hugged Mom.

"We're going to have a little brother," I asked, still trying to process the information.

"Or sister, but yes," Mom replied and placed her hand on her stomach. I didn't remember her being pregnant with James and I began to wonder what it would be like to see my mother pregnant. Then I started thinking about a little sister and how much I would love her and protect her. In a matter of minutes, my view of my mother's pregnancy changed completely. While they were all discussing whatever it was they were discussing, I walked up and wrapped my arms around Mom.

"I love you, Mom," I whispered, overcome with emotion. "This is really exciting."

"I love you, too, honey," I could hear the tears in her voice as I pulled away slightly.

"Okay," Dad said clapping his hands together and we all took our seats again. "We're going to add one more Herondale to the bunch. I want you two to help your mom out around the house. She needs to rest and she's probably going to be sick for a while."

We nodded in agreement and Dad started rattling off random things that I just couldn't pay attention to. All I could think about was getting some fresh air. Once Dad dismissed us, I grabbed a beach towel and made my way down to the beach.

As I sat in the sand, I thought about my mom and how amazing she was. She was forty-one and having a baby. I'll admit that the idea kind of grossed me out, at first, but now I was really excited to have another little sibling to watch grow. This was different, though. James and I were so close in age that we really did grow up together. We learned all of life's lessons together. I always felt like we were more like twins and I was getting excited to have a much younger sibling that I could teach and protect.

Mom having a baby got me thinking about what I wanted in life. I really wanted the life my parents had because it was the only life I knew and it was amazing. If I could have a love like my parents and throw in a few kids, my life would be complete. I knew then, that I wanted that life with Tessa. It seemed weird to me to know who I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, but I had known that I wanted to marry Tessa since I was ten years old. I wanted to make all of her dreams come true, which included an MMA career and I hoped we could both continue the legacy our fathers laid out for us.

I looked out onto the ocean, which always calmed me. Taking a deep breath, I felt at peace with everything happening in my life. I felt arms wrap around me and inhaled the scent I would always recognize. Tessa kissed my temple before moving to sit next to me. She didn't say anything as she held onto my arm and leaned her head against my shoulder.

"Hey, angel," I said as I turned my head to kiss the top of Tessa's head. "Where is everybody?"

"My parents are inside talking to your parents," she replied as she snuggled closer to me. "So, James has a girlfriend, huh? I never thought I'd see the day."

"You and me both." I let out a chuckle. "Is she here?"

"Yeah, James is in there with the parents." I laced our fingers together and kissed her head again. "Do you think we should go inside and talk to her?"

I shook my head. "I just need to be away from everyone right now." She nodded and reached up to kiss my cheek. I tuned my head and leaned down to kiss her. It was sweet and innocent, but I needed to tell her how much I appreciated her being there for me. "What's on your mind, Will?"

"A lot happened today." She didn't say anything for a while, just letting me be.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I don't know if I'm supposed to tell you, but I want to." She nodded and ran her hand up and down my arm. "Mom's pregnant." Tessa snapped up and turned to face me.

"What?" The look on her face rivaled mine when I found out. "Your mom, Aunt Clary, is pregnant, with a baby?"

"That's right." I watched as the information was being processed in Tessa's mind. She had the cutest look on her face with her brows furrowed and her bottom lip caught between her teeth. "It's weird, right?"

"Yeah." She sat down on her knees in front of me and put her hands on my knees. "I mean no. I think it's kind of wonderful."

"I'm kind of excited because I don't remember her being pregnant with James, so I think it will be cool."

She nodded and settled back down next to me. I kept thinking that we should join the family, but I couldn't bring myself to share Tessa. I finally understood why James didn't tell me about Barbara. It was selfish, but I understood not wanting to share your girl. I knew that I shouldn't keep Tessa away from her family, but I couldn't bring myself to get up and walk to the house. They would all be out on the beach eventually, anyway.

Sunday barbeques were one of my favorite things about summer. Tessa and I trained six hours a day everyday, except Sundays, in the summer and these barbeques allowed us a chance to relax and defuse from a week of hard training. I had two years until I could officially go pro and Tessa had about a year and a half. We needed to be ready when the time came so we could go straight into our professional careers and start making names for ourselves.

When I heard people walking in the sand toward us, I finally decided to let ourselves out of our little bubble. I stood and offered my hand to Tessa. She placed her hand in mine and I pulled her up before bending and throwing her over my shoulder. Tessa let out a shriek as I turned toward the water.

"William Herondale, put me down right now," Tessa yelled as she pounded my back. "You know I can kick your ass, so I don't understand why you're pushing it." I laughed as I tightened my hold on her and made my way into the water.

Sure, she could take me, but the position I had her in wasn't one she could get out of. When the water reached my waist, I slid her down and caught her in a cradle position. She could try and act mad all she wanted, but I could she the light in her eyes. She liked playing around like this. I kissed her, then, to try and save my ass for bringing her in the water. When we pulled apart, she had a smile on her face and I almost panicked when I remembered that everyone was on the beach and probably watching us. I tossed Tessa into the water as she shrieked and I dipped under the water.

She was fuming when I popped out of the water and I couldn't hold in my laugh until she tackled me. We began wrestling in the water and I let her have control because I didn't want to get in any more trouble. When she was on my back and trying to choke me out, Dad called us over to eat. I turned my head back and kissed her before she slid down my back and ran around me toward the deck. I ran to catch up with her and laced our fingers together.

As we walked back to our families, I couldn't help being overwhelmed with everything that had happened in the past few days. In the matter of a weekend, I made Tessa my girlfriend, James got a girlfriend and we found out Mom was pregnant. We were all embarking on new adventures and I couldn't have been happier.

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_Thanks for reading! I hope you're all enjoying the story so far because I'm enjoying writing it. Please let me know what you think and leave a review! :)_


	10. Chapter 10

_Tessa_

You know that saying that things are too good to be true? Well, that's how I felt about my relationship with Will. We had been dating for about a month and things couldn't have been better. We still had about two months before school started up again and we started our junior year.

Every day, except for Sundays, we spent at the gym training together like we had been doing for years. We found a healthy balance of spending time together alone and with James. We didn't need to hang out every night since we had already trained together for six hours, but we usually took the weekends to be together.

Will was an amazing boyfriend. He was polite and respectful and treated me like I was the only girl in the world. With Aunt Clary pregnant, I was seeing a side of Will that I had only seen a few times. It was his extremely protective side. He would freak out if Clary lifted something heavier than a feather and she hadn't cleaned a thing in the house since she announced she was pregnant. I could tell she was about ready to wring his neck if he didn't stop acting so ridiculous. She begged me to get him out of the house so she could actually relax, so that was what I was doing tonight.

In the past few weeks, I was reminded of what an awesome person Barbara was. Since James was my best friend, the four of us spent a lot of time together and we found immediately that the years she was gone hadn't made a difference. The dynamic of the group had definitely changed, but it was a good change. When we were all together, it still felt like we were just four friends hanging out.

Barbara and I had planned on going out with the guys that night because, apparently, Jace had asked Barbara to get James out of the house, as well. The Herondale boys were driving their parents crazy. She was already waiting for me when I pulled up to the Herondale house.

"Hey," I said as I walked up to the front door.

"What's the plan," she asked before we walked through the door.

"Okay, so we just need to get them out of the house. You know they're going to be reluctant, so do whatever you need to do to get James out of the house. Jace and Clary are going crazy and she really can't be stressed right now. I know they think they're helping, but Clary is about to strangle them."

She nodded and we entered the house without knocking on the door. I had tried to start knocking after Will and I started dating, but old habits die hard. Clary came around the corner and wrapped her arms around me.

"Thank God," she said as she hugged Barbara. "I love my boys, but if they tell me one more time that I should be resting, I'm going to wring their necks." Clary stepped back and he hand went to rest on her tiny little bump. She was about fourteen weeks along and was absolutely glowing. I knew that she was a high-risk pregnancy, but everything was fine so far and the boys needed to stop worrying so much. "I had to send James to the gym the other day because he saw me standing on a chair trying to get my camera down from the closet and he freaked out. I'm not even kidding when I say that he actually picked me up and put me down on the ground. Jace said he sulked around the gym for the rest of the day and he caught James and Will trying to leave and come over to the studio."

"Well, that's why we're here," I told her and she said the boys were upstairs in their rooms. Barbara and I headed upstairs and split up when we reached the top. I walked down the hall to Will's room where the door was closed and I could hear his music playing through the door. Instead of knocking, I just opened the door to find Will sitting on his bed, reading a book. His nose was always in a book when he wasn't at the gym and I loved that about him. He hadn't even noticed that I was in his room when I jumped on the bed next to him. He dropped the book and a smile spread across his face. "Hey, stranger."

"I just saw you a couple of hours ago," he said as I leaned over to kiss him. "I didn't know you were coming over tonight."

"Yeah, well I'm not staying." I got up from the bed and took his hand. "And neither are you. Come on, the four of us are going to The Cliffs." The Cliffs was a place that overlooked the ocean and gave you the best view of the sunset I had ever seen. After the sunset, we usually lit a fire and ate whatever food we decided to pick up on the way.

"I can't go." He shook his head and pulled his hand away. "I have to make sure dinner is cooked and the house is clean for my mom." He leaned back against the headboard and lifted the book in front of his face.

"William Herondale." He flinched at my stern tone. "Your mom is pregnant. She's not dying. She can handle cooking dinner and cleaning the kitchen and if she can't, your dad is here to help her. It's not your responsibility to do everything for her."

"I know." He closed the book and tossed it on the bed, flopping onto his back and looking up at the ceiling. He closed his eyes and I moved back to sit next to him. "I'm scared." He whispered and I didn't know what to say. Will didn't get scared. I had only heard him say that he was scared one other time and that was when we were about to jump off of the Cliffs into the ocean for the first time. I just laid down next to him and took his hand in mine, trying to get him to open up. I brought his hand to my lips and kissed the back of it. "I just don't want anything to happen to my mom or the baby."

"Honey, nothing is going to happen to them." I pushed up to rest on my elbow and look down into his face.

"You don't know that." He rubbed his hand over his face. "I've looked up what it means to be pregnant over forty. There are so many risks, not only to the baby but to my mom and I can't protect her from herself. I can't protect her from this and none of us can. You don't know how hard that is for all of us. My dad is worried too. You know how protective he is of her and he can't do anything to stop something from going wrong. The only way we can feel at least a little calm is to make sure she isn't doing anything to put herself and the baby in danger. She might think we're crazy, but we can't help it."

I didn't know what to say because I understood what they were feeling. This family loved each other so much and I was sure that the boys were having a hard time accepting that they couldn't protect Clary. So we just lay there in silence as I tried to convey my support to him through the way I was holding him.

"I love you, do you know that," I finally said breaking the silence. Will sat up and I followed him and took his hands in mine as I sat in front of him.

"You do," he asked in a whisper, almost like he couldn't believe it and I realized that I had never actually said the words out loud to him before. I had always figured he knew because we had always told each other we loved the other, but that was different. That was when we were best friends and our love wasn't the same. I loved him as more than a friend now and I couldn't believe I hadn't told him. He told me the night we got together and had many times since. I wracked my brain for how I would respond and realized that I would just smile and kiss him without returning the sentiment.

"Yeah, of course I love you, Will," I said with a smile, trying to convey that I was telling the truth. I didn't want him to have any doubts about my feelings for him. "I'm sorry that it took me so long to tell you, but I figured you knew that I loved you. I know that it's completely different to actually hear the words, so, Will, I love you. Not like a friend and not like a brother, but the kind of love that you get to choose. I love you, so much it hurts and I had no idea I could feel that way about a person."

"I love you." Will grasped the back of my neck and pulled me in to kiss him. My arms wrapped around his neck and he leaned back against the headboard, pulling me on top of him. I wasn't even worried about the fact that the bedroom door was open and anyone could walk by at any moment or that we were supposed to be leaving. All that mattered was Will and everything else could wait.

We were startled back into reality by someone banging on the wall next to the door. I jumped up and off of the bed to see James and Barbara standing in the doorway holding hands while she tried to hide the fact that she was laughing.

"If you two aren't too busy, we would like to get going," James said as Will shot him a death glare. I nodded and followed them out of the room and looked back at Will with a look saying to not be too angry with his brother for interrupting us. Will came up behind me and took my hand in his as the four of us made our way downstairs.

Jace and Clary were sitting on the couch watching fight tape of some of the fighters Jace wanted to recruit for the organization as we walked toward the front door. I glanced back at them as they waved before we left and I couldn't help but think that I wanted a life like that. I wanted to be able to support my husband in what he loves and be supported myself. Jace and Clary not only supported each other in their passions but they enjoyed doing it. I wanted that and as I looked up at Will, I knew I could have it someday with him.

Since I was the only one with a car, we all headed toward it, but Will took the keys from my hands before we got there and opened the passenger door for me. That was one thing I had to get used to when we started dating. Will liked to drive and be in control, so I had to learn to let him. Every once in a while, I would tell him he couldn't drive, but I had to admit that I liked him in the driver's seat as he held my hand across the console.

James and Barbara sat close in the backseat as they engaged in conversation with Will. I couldn't focus on what they were talking about because I was too consumed with the overwhelming feeling of love I had for Will. I had never thought about a future with him because we were so young, but that fleeting thought of a life with Will made me realize that I didn't want anyone else. Maybe I was crazy because I was sixteen and we had only been together for a month, but Will and I were made for each other. Plus, we had been best friends for our entire lives.

Will pulled up to The Cliffs and ran around to my side to help me out of the car. James and Barbara walked in front of us with the picnic basket and the stereo before finding a spot on the edge of the cliff to sit. Will wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me close as we followed his brother to the spot he had chosen. The sun was setting, but there was still some time before it got dark.

We stood on the edge of the cliff and looked out over the water as Barbara laid out the blanket and James got the music going. I loved nights like this where we could all just hang out and be normal kids for once. We didn't have to worry about training schedules or our parents. All that mattered was all of us being together and having a good time.

I glanced up at Will, who was looking at me with a mischievous glint in his eye. He didn't have to say anything for me to know what he was thinking. I smiled and took off my shirt to reveal my bathing suit and he did the same before taking my hand.

"Are you ready," he asked as he looked down to the water.

"More than I'll ever be," I said knowing that taking this jump, this drop symbolized more to me than just jumping off of a cliff into the water. I was ready to free fall into my new life with Will. He counted to three and we jumped off of the cliff, feeling like we were flying until we made impact with the water. Will kept his hold on my hand until we surfaced and he pulled me in by the waist. His smile was bright as he leaned in to kiss me.

"I love you," he whispered against my lips. "And I always have."

"I love you." I leaned back to look into his eyes. "And I always will."

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_Thank you so much for reading! I'm so sort it's been so long since I've updated, but I'm going to try and rectify that. I might only post once a week during the summer, so just bear with me! I hope you're enjoying the story so far and just know that I have no idea where I want to take the story yet, so if you have any suggestions or comments, please let me know. _

_Let me know what you think and leave a review! :)_


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